Any sailors onboard?

[930Chas]

I too have sailed my entire life, growing up in Ventura County with the Channel Islands easily accesible made for some great sailing. But, more importantly, my grandad is an avid sailor. As a kid, I would spend the weekends with him on the boat and we would sail all day. He is 84 now, and still sails almost everyday. There is nothing like the calm of sailing on a beautiful day, just the breeze, waves and the seagulls to listen to. It doesn't get better then that. Lately, I just crew on friend's boats. Last time crewed a swan 44 down in the virgin islands, that was tough living. Now, though don't own a sailboat, just a 20' Mako center console for those early morning fishing trips out on the Chesapeake Bay.

[surflvr911sc]

I learned to sail when I was thirteen and have owned catamarans ever since. I have a Hobie 16 now, and the last three. I broke one real good one time. Snapped the hull almost in two, that made for a fun half-second ride. It was pretty funny, floated around for a couple hours before some came by to give me a tow.

Haven’t been out in the water w/ it for a while, starting to get the itch though. Small one or two person catamarans are the Porsches of sailing IMO.

[Savage]

Been racing boats since I was 5. Thistles, Lightnings, Interlakes and PHRF and IOR. 1 911, 5 Boats. Started my daughter in an opti at 3. My plate reads SAIL FST. Sailing and Porsches do go well together.

[DavidPorter]

Been sailing off and on 40 years, still racing Thursday nights in Baltimore (J22s, local club).

[Randy W]

I still have my Hobie 14, which I bought new when I was in college in 1976. Seems like I never have time to sail it lately since I've been autocrossing my 911s. I have fond memories of sailing from St. Martin to St. Barts and back in 1986 on a 50' ketch - boy what a party we had that night.

[Argo]

Race / weekend / day sail my J27. Absolutely beautiful boat with performance that surprises and annoys most supposedly faster boats. Kind of like my Targa.

J Boats - the Porsches of waterworld.

Argo
88 Targa

[carnut169]

TTweed- oh my god. What an accomplishment. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about take a min to read the story of TTweed building his own boat. It is worth the read.
Did your Dad ever get a chance to go out in the boat? It must have just broke your heart to sell it. Ever consider trying to find the boat and buy it back? With the amount of thought and care that went into making it I can't imagine it is not cruising around somewhere.
Anyway, thanks for the story.

[carnut169]

Check out these photos:
From this:

to this:

I also liked the group you were hanging with- bunch of hippies!

[78silversc]

Great to see that there are so many sailers here! I race a J29 in the Raritan Bay, New Jersey. Have been for the past 4 years. I started sailing 25 years ago on a Hobie 16 on Saratoga Lake , Saratoga New York. When I moved to NJ 18 years ago, I was introduced to the venerable J24, I learned foredeck on that boat and loved every minute!
The J29 is a great PHRF racer and loads of fun in heavy air, not a boat you want to take on any lengthy cruises though!
If any of you guys are in NJ and can sale Wednesday Nights (5pm -) and some weekends, let me know we are always looking for crew!

[pbs911]

Not sailing, but my most recent hobbie/sport. My goal for next August is to compete in the race from Newport Beach to Catalina - 26 miles.

[SK]

You will like this.
I grew up sailing. My dad had a C&C until a few years after I moved away to school....closer to the lake than he was, so I used his boat more that he did. So, he sold it and bough a very nice '85 coupe. When he sold it I took up windsurfing (for the speed rush). Well 10 years later, I talked him out of that nice coupe, and it has been mine for the last 4 years. (still have my Laser, and still love to windsurf...but only on days that are blowing 20+.....I drive my car on low wind days )

[Sunroof]

Hey Tom.
I went back and read the documentation on Tolerance. Man, what a magnificent vessel and what a talent you have. Your a blessed man.

Do not give up the idea of cruising and living aboard. Although I did not build a boat I did sell everything I had and took a small family on an adventure of peril, unknown and the ultimate high.

We were coastal cruisers with runs to the Bahamas and zipping out of inlets here and their along the Atlantic and Gulf as desired. The vessel "Rozinante" built by Coronado Yachts was our home for almost three years and when it was time to get back to terra firma we all bounced back very well.

After so many years and incredible memories that will forever remain, we are planning to go again in the next year or so. Our kids are grown so our needs aboard are fewer and thus requires a smaller vessel.

For anyone considering moving aboard.......its a wonderful experience shared by thousands out there. If your tettering, go for it.....after all life is not a dress rehersal!!!

Bob

[arcsine]

I have been racing pretty obsessively for the last five or six years. I do not own a boat and simply coattail along with those that have the resources and dedication to race.

I am not very good at cruising mostly because I get bored. Lets face it, sailing (even at the AC level) is a pretty slow process. Unless of course you are doing the Volvo Ocean Race and blast reaching at 25 knots through the growlers of the Southern Ocean but that is a different story.

Here are some pics of my latest ride, a Cookson 12M out of New Zealand. It is quite a hoot.

[RickC]

Yup, love to sail. Grew up on Lake Michigan and spent 10 years in San Diego. Sailed summers with Culver Military Academy in Indiana on everything from lightnings to a three masted square-rigger (the Fowler). Still into small boats - Laser, Hobie 16 and a new Starboard windsurfer on order. Hope to add a larger boat for more adventure when the three kids are older.

[GeorgeM]

I've spent much of my life on the big grey flattop variety as well.

Fortunately, I get to fly off them on a regular basis. I have just under three years of "sea time" (actual days at sea). That's three whole years away from home at sea. Ouch!

CV-59, CVN-70, CVN-72 and CV-67.

Dennis, when were you on Vinson?

[Harold_89_911]

I grew up in Holland with lots of water and wind around me. Used to own a 470 (Olympic class) as a teenager. When I went to college, got into windsurfing (longboards first and later into sinkers). Still have my gear with me in California but pretty much broke everything but the board in pieces due to some nasty beach breaks. Would love to take another trip to Hawaii go get back into it.

[KFC911]

Although I consider myself a novice sailor, I've spent a fair amount of time on a friend's '30 Morgan on the St. John's river in Jax. Fla, but a real treat for me has been the couple of times I've had the pleasure of crewing on this '70 wooden schooner in San Diego harbor & the Pacific. Porsches & sailing...what a combo!

[sleepdoc]

Hi

When I got married my wife was at UC Santa Cruz and I was working in Salinas. Every day I drove the porsche down highway one past a no name boat harbor with live aboards. I started thinking about buying a boat and moving aboard. I gently pitched the idea to my wife and she tentatively bought into the idea. We looked up and down the pacific coast for about a year before we bought a Hylas 44 in San Diego. We moved it to Monterey and lived aboard for five years. Each weekend rain or shine we took Solace out onto Monterey bay, essentially open ocean. We took her down the coast to the channel islands twice. After five years the lure of going just got to be too much and Sarah, a friend of hers and I headed offshore to Hawaii. After a sixteen day glorious downwind reach we pulled into Hilo.
We intended to stop off in Hawaii for a year or so to pay off the boat and keep going West. It turned out though that Hawaii has been an adventure of its own and 10 years later we are still here and my 914/3.2l is just completed and going through the tunning phase. ( you know weld in a bung for that O2 sensor to get a nice even idle).
Ruby is my 5th porsche. Yeah sailing and porsches go together.

best Mark

[Kevin Reilly]

I'm not much of a sailor but I did have a Laser for about 5 years. Boy was that a lot of fun. Challenging, relaxing, everything good. This thread reminds me of everything I liked about it!

[efhughes3]

Great Thread! I'm a sailor going through withdrawal! I lived on my Hunter 336 in Sausalito for about a year and a half, and then sailed her down to San Diego to coincide with a new job. Once there, I traded (with some cash thrown in!) up to a Hunter 376, and lived at the San Diego Yacht Club for a couple of years. I didn't race my boat, but trimmed main on a Swan 57 owned by a friend. We had some great races on that 60,000lb girl. I'm now in Dallas, but I've kept my SDYC membership active, as that is where my wife and I will retire. I'm sad to say my next boat will most likely be a trawler. This is the logical choice when a sailor switches to power, slow with nice accomodations.

Has anyone been watching the Louis V races in Auckland? OLN is televising them most every nite at 8:00 CDT. They have sure ignited my yearning!